Human Motion Analysis in Treadle Pump Devices

Poverty and hunger are common problems in developing countries where agriculture is seriously affected by lacking of irrigated land. The treadle pump is an effective low cost device, which combines higher water discharge rates with ease of operation. Improving the performance of the treadle pump, considering dimensional and structural requirements, manufacturing and maintenance aspects, cost reduction and ergonomics is the aim of the authors. A human centered approach is proposed to enhance the performance of these pumps, firstly because the user’s influence on the treadle pump’s design has not been completely analyzed so far and secondly because water discharge depends significantly on the user’s perforlnance. A parametric study was carried out. It was found that a comfortable pumping position requires feet angular positions between -10° and +10° and treadles must be large enough to allow different pumping positions and operator’s height. A new numerical approach is proposed for modeling the user’s movement.

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